Food critic Opeyemi Famakin has said he does not blame restaurants for turning away customers who occupy tables for long periods while making minimal purchases, arguing that such behaviour can hurt restaurant revenue.
Nigerian food critic Opeyemi Famakin has weighed in on the growing debate over restaurants refusing entry or service to customers, particularly women, over concerns about spending and table usage.
Famakin argued that restaurant owners have legitimate business considerations when deciding how they manage limited seating space. He gave an example of customers who allegedly order only one cocktail, remain at a table for hours and use the venue primarily to take photographs for social media.
According to the food critic, such behaviour can create a financial problem for restaurants because the table could otherwise be occupied by customers who order more food and drinks.
“I don’t blame restaurants who bounce women,” Famakin said, explaining his view on the issue.
He went on to describe a scenario in which a woman could order one cocktail, remain at the restaurant for about two hours, leave to change clothes and return to take more pictures.
Famakin's comments have added another perspective to a recurring debate in Nigeria's hospitality industry over restaurant policies, minimum spending requirements and the use of dining spaces for social-media content.
Famakin Focuses on the Business Side of Restaurants
Famakin's argument centres on the economics of running a restaurant.
Restaurants typically operate with limited seating capacity. A table occupied for a long period represents time during which another customer cannot use that same space.
For restaurants with high customer demand, owners may therefore pay close attention to how much revenue each table generates over a particular period.
Famakin's example suggests that a customer who orders only a single drink but occupies a table for several hours may generate considerably less revenue than another customer who orders a full meal, drinks and dessert during the same period.
That does not establish that every customer who spends little is deliberately exploiting a restaurant. Rather, it highlights the tension between customers seeking a place to socialise or create content and businesses trying to maximise their limited seating capacity.
Social Media Has Changed Restaurant Culture
The debate also reflects how restaurants have increasingly become locations for social-media content.
Customers frequently photograph meals, interiors and themselves at restaurants before sharing the material on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
For some restaurants, social-media exposure can be beneficial. Customers may introduce a venue to new audiences through photographs, videos and reviews.
However, Famakin's comments focus on situations where content creation takes priority over consumption.
His example describes a customer spending a relatively small amount while using a restaurant's space for an extended period to take photographs.
From a restaurant owner's perspective, the issue is therefore not necessarily the act of taking photographs itself but the amount of time a table remains occupied relative to the revenue generated.
Why Table Turnover Matters
Table turnover is an important consideration for restaurants because seating capacity directly affects how many customers can be served.
For example, a restaurant with a limited number of tables may have a busy dinner period in which customers are waiting for seats.
If a table remains occupied for several hours by someone who has purchased only a drink, the restaurant may lose the opportunity to serve additional customers.
This is particularly relevant during peak periods such as Friday evenings, weekends and public holidays.
Restaurant owners may therefore introduce policies such as minimum spending, time limits or reservations to manage demand.
Such policies are not unique to Nigeria, although their implementation can vary considerably between restaurants.
The “Minimum Spend” Debate
Famakin's comments come amid wider conversations about whether restaurants should be allowed to require customers to spend a minimum amount.
Supporters of minimum-spend policies argue that restaurants have operating costs that continue regardless of how much an individual customer purchases.
These include rent, electricity, staff salaries, security, cleaning and food preparation costs.
A table occupied for a long period also represents a business asset that cannot be simultaneously allocated to another paying customer.
From this perspective, a minimum-spend requirement can help restaurants ensure that the revenue generated by each occupied table is commercially viable.
Customers, however, may see such policies differently, particularly when they are not clearly communicated before they arrive.
Transparency Can Reduce Disputes
One practical issue in disputes between restaurants and customers is communication.
If a restaurant has a minimum spending requirement, reservation fee, time limit or policy restricting photography, clearly communicating those rules before customers arrive can reduce misunderstandings.
Customers can then decide whether the conditions are acceptable to them.
Likewise, restaurants can apply their stated policies consistently rather than appearing to target particular groups.
This distinction is particularly important because Famakin's comments specifically referred to women being turned away.
A restaurant's commercial policy can be based on factors such as table capacity, expected demand and minimum spending, but policies that appear to single out customers based on gender could generate a separate debate about fairness and discrimination.
Famakin's statement itself was an expression of his opinion about the business realities facing restaurant operators.
Restaurants Also Benefit From Social Media Exposure
There is another side to the discussion.
Customers who spend time taking photographs at restaurants can potentially provide free publicity.
A visually appealing restaurant, meal or cocktail may appear in social-media posts and reach people who have never previously heard of the venue.
Food critics and influencers can also generate significant attention for restaurants.
Famakin himself has built a public profile around food criticism and restaurant experiences. His professional profile describes him as a food and wine critic, while his previous interviews have focused extensively on Nigeria's restaurant industry.
This creates a more complicated relationship between restaurants and social-media users.
A customer may spend little during one visit but potentially expose a restaurant to hundreds or thousands of people online.
The commercial value of that exposure, however, is difficult to measure in an individual case.
Not Every Low-Spending Customer Is a Problem
Famakin's example describes a particular scenario and should not be interpreted as saying every customer who orders one item is necessarily damaging a restaurant.
Customers have different budgets and reasons for visiting restaurants.
Someone may order a drink while waiting for a friend, attending a short meeting or simply enjoying the venue.
Similarly, someone taking photographs does not automatically mean they are using the restaurant unfairly.
The central business question is how restaurants balance customer experience with the need to generate sufficient revenue from their available space.
Restaurant Owners Face Rising Operating Costs
The economics of Nigeria's hospitality industry have also become more challenging as businesses deal with costs associated with food, energy, rent, labour and other inputs.
These costs make revenue generated from each table increasingly important for some restaurant operators.
A restaurant cannot simply measure success by the number of people inside the premises. It also has to consider how much customers spend and how long they occupy available seating.
That is the business argument underlying Famakin's comments.
For customers, however, the expectation is often that purchasing an item entitles them to use the restaurant's facilities for a reasonable period unless a different policy has been communicated.
The resulting disagreement is therefore partly about expectations.
The Role of Food Critics
Famakin's position is particularly notable because he has spent years reviewing restaurants and discussing Nigeria's food and hospitality sector.
His public profile has included restaurant reviews, food recommendations and commentary on the business surrounding dining in Nigeria.
In a 2023 podcast appearance, Famakin discussed the restaurant business from both the restaurant-owner and consumer perspectives.
His latest comments similarly approach the issue from the perspective of restaurant economics rather than solely from that of the customer.
That perspective has contributed to the debate because food critics occupy a position between consumers and restaurant businesses.
They can influence where people choose to eat while also interacting directly with restaurant operators.
A Growing Conversation About Restaurant Rules
The discussion over customers being turned away is unlikely to disappear as Nigeria's restaurant and nightlife industries continue to develop.
Restaurants are increasingly using reservations, minimum-spend requirements and other measures to manage their spaces.
At the same time, customers are increasingly documenting their experiences online, making restaurant policies more visible to the public.
A decision to refuse service that might previously have remained a private interaction can now become a viral social-media discussion within hours.
For restaurant owners, this creates an additional incentive to communicate policies clearly and apply them consistently.
For customers, understanding a restaurant's rules before occupying a table can prevent disputes over spending, time limits or photography.
Famakin's Comments Spark Debate
Famakin's statement ultimately highlights a conflict between two legitimate interests: the customer's desire to use a restaurant as a social space and the owner's responsibility to make the business financially sustainable.
His specific criticism was directed at customers who, in his example, allegedly spend very little while occupying tables for long periods and using the venue for photographs.
Whether such behaviour is acceptable depends partly on the restaurant's own policies and the expectations communicated to customers.
Restaurants have the right to manage their businesses, while customers can reasonably expect clear information about conditions attached to using a venue.
The debate therefore goes beyond whether women should or should not be allowed into restaurants.
It raises broader questions about minimum spending, table turnover, social-media culture, customer expectations and the economics of Nigeria's hospitality industry.
Famakin's comments have brought those questions back into public discussion, particularly around how restaurants can protect their revenue without creating unnecessary conflict with customers.
